


Hold Your Heart, Be Still

by haunted_by_catholic_guilt



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Fever, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Nightmares, Sick Character, Sickfic, Vomiting, rita is the best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:54:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27707239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haunted_by_catholic_guilt/pseuds/haunted_by_catholic_guilt
Summary: Juno Steel was a lot of things.He was a good detective, he was funny, at least in his opinion, and he had a talent for getting himself out of trouble.He was also, however, an idiot.But he was also Rita’s idiot, so when Mista Steel came in and looked like death warmed over, she knew just what to do.
Relationships: Rita & Juno Steel
Comments: 4
Kudos: 74





	Hold Your Heart, Be Still

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! This is my first fic for The Penumbra Podcast!!!  
> I noticed a lack of sickfics for it, so I thought I better change that!
> 
> TW FOR VOMITING
> 
> TW FOR THE FOLLOWING ALL IMPLIED CHILD ABUSE, DOMESTIC ABUSE, DRUG USE

Juno Steel was a lot of things.

He was a good detective, he was funny, at least in his opinion, and he had a talent for getting himself out of trouble.

He was also, however, an idiot.

But he was also Rita’s idiot, so when Mista Steel came in and looked like death warmed over, she knew just what to do.

He was a stubborn lady, and Rita knew this, so she had to be smart about this.

So, she started off the morning by bringing him a tea and a piece of toast, being a quiet as she could when she spoke, because if his expression was anything to go off of, he probably had a headache.

He snapped at her, of course, but that was to be expected, he was never an easy sick person, or an easy person in general, especially when hurt, or sad, or sick and it just broke Rita’s heart, no one should need to be alone when they’re not doing good!

She had to fight the urge to just hug him and wrap him up in a ton of blankets and force him to watch streams with her, but she knew that she needed to be tactical about this.

After she brought him food, and promptly got yelled at because ‘I am an adult, Rita, you don’t need to try and take care of me, I am fine’ before breaking off into a coughing fit that made her own lungs hurt, she left him alone in his office, work quietly at the desk, against her own nature. 

She had gotten distracted reading an article on the computer when she heard gagging coming from Bosses office, and got out of her chair to move onto phase two of making Mr. Steel take care of himself.

She grabbed a water bottle and blanket and made her way to the Bosses office, lightly knocking on the door but only as a courtesy, not really waiting for a reply.

He looked like shit.

Mista Steels jacket was off, thrown to the side and his hair was covered in sweat, and his dark skin was ashen and a dark blush was noticeable on his face, and he was curled around a trash can on the floor.

He looked miserable and it made Rita’s heartbreak.

“Aww boss, you really aren’t doin good today.”

He groaned in reply but she swore he nodded just a little.

“Alright Mistah Steel, don’t you worry, Rita will take care of you!”

She kept her voice quiet and made her way to his side, and pressed a hand to his cheek.

“Ohhh Mista Steel that doesn’t feel too good.”

He nodded and leaned into her hand a little, a confirmation that he was really not doing well.

Rita knew that Mista Steel didn’t know how to accept affection most times, and that besides his brother there wasn’t any in that family.

Boss had told her when he was drunk once about how whenever he was sick as a child, Ben would sit with him and tell stories and would bring him soup and water, while trying to protect him from their mom.

He had also told her about his time with Diamond, and how the few times he got sick, whether from drugs, alcohol, or just plain sick, how they screamed at him for hours about how he was a waste and would slap him senseless if he ever needed to go to the doctor.

And so, Mista Steel tended to shut down when he was sick, and Rita didn’t even blame him.

She pressed the water bottle to his lips and he took a small sips before it was too much and he jerked away, throwing himself over the trash can again, heaving nothing into it.

“Aww, boss.”

She quickly took the blanket and wrapped it around his shaking frame before rubbing his back until he finally slumped down and she pulled him into her, resting his head on her thighs.

“Alright Mista Steel, let’s get you out of here and into a bed.”

He didn’t show any sign that he processed what she said, so she pushed him up so she could stand and help him up, but as soon as she did, he let out a noise that sounded like a whine and curled into himself, and it almost sounded like he was crying.

“Oh Mista Steel it’s alright, I’m still here, just wanted to stand up and get you into a real bed, alright boss?” 

He looked up at her and his eyes were clouded and clueless.

She carefully helped him up, and they slowly made their way to her car, very slowly with many breaks just so Boss could catch his breath and not pass out.

When she finally got Mista Steel to her car, he looked even worse for wear and immediately curled into a ball on the seat.

“Alright Mista, let’s get you somewhere more comfortable.”

He didn’t reply, but he did shift a little when she tapped his shoulder, so she got up and went to get him out of the car.

“Come on boss.”

He didn’t move, didn’t even show any acknowledgment that he heard her.

“Come on Mista Steel, you’re startin to worry me and you know I’ve seen too many streams that start like this and end in a zombie apocalypse.”

He stirred a little when she placed a hand on his cheek, and if even possible he was warmer than before.

“Oooh boss, you aren’t doing too well are you.”

He finally opened his eyes, dark and glassy with fever, and he looked up at her, but mostly staring through her it seemed.

“Alright, Boss, can you get out of the car for me?”

He closed his eyes again, but did move out of the car, and Rita wrapped her arm around his waist and did her best to stabilize him.

After a significant struggle, she did get him into her apartment, knowing he wouldn’t have stuff at his own, and got him into a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie she had once stolen from him just in case, and got him all curled up into bed.

She pattered around for a bit, getting a cold cloth, some medicine for him to take, and a thermometer to take his temperature, which she knew was too high for her liking.

“Mista Steel? Can you sit up for a second?”

The lady groaned but after some convincing moved so she could take his temperature and force foul-tasting medicine down throat followed by many apologies and a coughing fit.

“Okay boss, you just rest now and Rita will be right here.”

She wasn’t really sure when he fell asleep, but she did recognize when he started to thrash around and call out for Ben.

“Oooh, Mista Steel.”

Her heart ached, and it didn’t take her long to climb up on his bed next to him and start to pet the lady’s hair, hushing him and trying to wake him up, offering any comfort she could.

It took far too long for him to calm down, to wake up at all, and he cycled through crying out for ben, begging for someone to stop, to cowering almost in fear and it broke Rita’s heart.

“You’re alright boss, it’s just Rita, just me.”

She didn’t even realize the hands clutching onto her sweater like a lifeline until he calmed down and started to relax, it made her smile softy, it was a reassurance to her that the lady trusted her.

She crawled out of the bed after a bit, and curled up back in the chair next to the bed, settling the cold cloth back on his forehead, and set to quietly watching a stream she had downloaded on her com.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Juno didn’t know where he was and he didn’t enjoy that.

It was warm, soft, and smelt like sweat, mostly and someone was snoring next to him.

He pried open his eyes, relieved to not be blinded by bright lights, but greeted by mostly darkness, only a dim light from a night light.

He was in a bed.

He turned his head slightly, which apparently was a mistake, because he was hit by an overwhelming wave of nausea and vertigo.

He made a noise and swallowed, he didn’t want to be sick, he didn’t like being sick, and whoever was next to him shifted.

“Mista Steel?”

It was Rita.

He swallowed thickly again, and his secretary made a quiet noise before quickly grabbing a bucket she had thought to bring to the bed, and helped her boss up.

“Alright boss, you’re okay.”

He dry heaved into the bucket while she rubbed his back, whispering soft reassurances that he was okay and safe.

He’d never admit it, but he needed it.

When he was done being sick, he slumped back down, and Rita set the bucket down, and sat on the bed next to him.

“What happened?”

He asked, still not sure exactly what happened, he’d been sober for years and the last time this happened was when-

“You came into work sick, got worse, so I took ya here! Needta keep my boss alive!”

She sounded cheerful in a way he couldn’t understand, happy about taking care of him or that he was alive? 

Either way, he couldn’t understand. 

He was suddenly hit with memories of when he was ill with Diamond, how they yelled for hours of how he was taking up their time, how they once slammed his already aching head into the wall-

How not even half an hour later they were apologizing and kissing his forehead and making him soup.

“Steel- Mista Steel- are ya in there?”

Shit.

Rita was still talking.

“Sorry… just kinda zoned out.”

She put her small hand against his forehead, and he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t… comforting.

“Alright boss, you should get some more rest, we ain’t workin for the next few days.”

She shuffled into the bed next to him, and made herself comfortable.

“Do ya mind if I put on a stream? I got a really cool one I think you’ll like about a detective and super awesome sidekick who-“

He nodded slowly as he let himself slip against her shoulder, letting himself slip back into sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is haunted-by-catholic-guilt! I mostly write for TMA, but have been working on this for awhile!


End file.
